Market performance of soft drinks enterprises in Kigali city, Rwanda: empirical study of interactive marketing practices

Abstract

Purpose: Even when soft drink production as an entrepreneurial activity has had tremendous impact on society, it continues to face heightened challenges as the world Corona Virus pandemic continues. The choice of a relevant communication strategy however will influence how they attain their goals. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between interactive marketing practices and market performance of soft drink enterprises in Kigali City, Rwanda. Methodology: Cross-sectional design was employed in this study to collect data on samples at a point in time. Simple random sampling technique helped researchers to select 322 soft drink enterprises in Kigali city and data was collected using structured self-administered questionnaire and interview guide in line with critical realism philosophy. Zero-order Pearson correlation analysis was used to test the set hypothesis and regression techniques for prediction. Findings: Results revealed that interactive marketing practices have a positive and significant association with market performance (r=.267, p<.01). Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study uniquely contributes to interactivity literature by providing further evidence on the positive relationship that exist between interactive marketing practices and market performance in a soft drink setting in Kigali City. Managers in these enterprises will acquire new insights related to the significance of interactive marketing practices in achieving their promotional and performance objectives. It was recommended that soft drink enterprises orient their strategic decisions towards disseminating their marketing information using interactive communication channels. This has been found out by this study to help them maintain warm relationship with their clients which has future sales leads and profitability implications.